Famous for its beautiful sceneries, tea plantations, fields and estates, Gudalur makes a glorious biking expedition. It derives its name from the Tamil words 'koodal oooru', which mean adjoining village. Indeed, Gudalur adjoins Ooty, Gundalpet and Nilambur and is equidistant from Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Apart from great visual beauty, the place is rich in wildlife and both high-altitude and low-altitude flora and crops. The village traces the origins of its tea plantation back to the British occupation. Being situated close to other states, its demographic is an interesting amalgamation of cultures, especially after the 1970s, when the Tamil Nadu government agreed to give shelter to refugees from Sri Lanka.

The fundraising cycling tour to Gudalur begins at Bangalore, where you will cover 350 kms all the way to Gudalur. On the way, stop and visit many places and people from different professions and cultures, including silkworm rearers in a sericulture farm, jaggery sellers, potters, the Mudumalai tiger reserve and a group of villagers in Kokkarebellur who have formed an animal conservation group.

You will also get to interact with the adivasi community in Gudalur, a group of indigenous and original inhabitants of the land, and will learn about their art, community and culture. Currently, the NGO works with four tribes Kattunayakans (traditional honey gatherers), Paniyas, Bettakurumbas (Elephant mahaouts) and Mullukurumbas.

About the Activity:

Get ready to wear spontaneity on your sleeve as you set out on an exciting and adventurous fundraising rally from Bangalore to Gudalur in Nilgiris. Prior to the trip, you will have to be able to raise a fundraising amount of INR 20,000. The Go! Make a Difference' cycling tour is a novel, self-contained bicycle ride that is not a competition or a sport but an experience that will take you through all the changing landscapes and the urban-rural shifts of a bicycle trip from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. Pack up your life and pedal away on an epic ride that will see you cycling 350 kms from Bangalore all the way to Gudalur, which is situated in Tamil Nadu and is equidistant from both Kerala and Karnataka.

The Adivasi Munnetra Sangam (AMS) is a movement that works with the adivasis or the indigenous people of a land, who are its original inhabitants. AMS works with them to preserve their culture and securing their livelihood, at the same time maintaining their human rights issues in the context of land grabbing, low wages and other forms of exploitation.